


Golden Slumbers

by ChampionFlyer



Series: Head Sick [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Gay Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Keith (Voltron) is a Dork, Keith's Trying His Best, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, Klance- Established Relationship, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance (Voltron)-centric, Lance has schizophrenia, Lance is getting there :'), M/M, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mental Institutions, Mentally Unstable Lance (Voltron), Sick Character, Songs are Mentioned, emotionally repressed keith, sexual puns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 07:54:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20272525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampionFlyer/pseuds/ChampionFlyer
Summary: It's already been a long day for Keith.The fact that he got a text from Shiro concerning Lance's mental state just adds to the stress.(Or Keith goes to visit his boyfriend at the hospital and he finds a little piece of their life before Lance got so sick.)Featured Songs: Golden Slumbers by The Beatles and Gloria by The Lumineers





	Golden Slumbers

**Author's Note:**

> HWOLLA! *spits on ground*
> 
> Heres the second part to Head Sick bitches! Yeet!

Keith pulled into the CVS parking lot expecting just to grab his prescription and get out. 

Instead, he spent twenty-six minutes picking out little random things he could bring back to A.P.H. for Lance. Word search booklets, gummy worms, and an assortment of other trinkets somehow found their way into Keith’s basket before he made it to the back check out counter. 

He checked his watch anxiously as he waited in the pharmacies line. 

9:46 pm.  _ Dammit, he was late again. _

“Sir?” Keith’s head snapped up, making eye contact with a slightly annoyed brunette pharmacist. 

“Right, right. Sorry,” Keith mumbled as he placed the red basket up on the counter. “I have a prescription pick up under Keith Kogane.” 

The pharmacist typed away on her keyboard, misspelling Keith’s last name four times before finally finding the correct name in the system. She disappeared behind the counter into an array of shelves, each stocked with orange pill bottles. She returned with a small, white paper bag. 

“Alright, Keith Kogane, 200mg tablets of  paroxetine, correct?”

Keith inhaled sharply. “Yeah, that’s it.” 

He hated that that was him now. No, he didn’t hate the pills he had to take or the therapist he had to see. He actually liked his therapist. He just hated not having the courage to tell Lance about it. About  _ his  _ life. The life the two of them were sharing. 

Keith was diagnosed with a minor anxiety disorder a few months ago, but it was nothing compared to what Lance was dealing with. He was put on paroxetine and set up with a counselor before he could really comprehend what was going on. Shiro knew what Keith was dealing with, having anxiety himself, and he knew it would be best just to tell Lance what was going on. 

But everyday Keith saw his boyfriend, he was reminded how  _ small  _ his issues really were. 

“Okay, your last refill was 6/17/19, your next refill will be the 17th of next month,” She handed him a little paper bag, pills rattling around inside as Keith threw it in the basket. He quickly paid for the items and hurried out to his car, throwing the bags in the passenger’s seat. 

A small  _ buzz  _ noise echoed through the car as Keith pulled his phone out of his pocket. 

_ Shiro’s Work Number  _

_ 9:51 pm _

_ Hey! You didn’t return my call from earlier so I just thought I’d shoot you a text. Lance and I finished up a particularly rough conversational session so he’s a little unbalanced at the moment. No episodes, just a panic attack. He’s overthinking too much right now. I hope you’re on your way. He misses you.  _

Keith was halfway through the message when he had the car on and in reverse, pulling out of the empty parking lot and hastily making his way towards the exit. 

Keith was sad that panic attacks were on the brighter side of Lance’s therapies. Sometimes he was fine, even happy during therapies. Othertimes panic attacks occur. Very rarely are episodes triggered by therapies but it’s happened. 

Once on the road, Keith clicked through the radio stations, hoping to find something to take his mind off the reality of life. 

_ 309.5 Alternative Rock, 19.8 WWAS Central Jazz, 101.9 Reggae Hits.  _

Nothing was ever on the radio without Lance around. 

Keith pulled onto the highway, driving for five minutes before getting caught in traffic. The day was going  _ great.  _ He pulled out his phone again, this time calling Shiro’s number, knowing he was on his break. 

It rang twice before Keith heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line. 

_ “Hey Keith, where are you?” _

“I’m stuck on the fucking highway. It’s probably going to take another half an hour for me to get there.”

_ “That’s okay. Did you pick up your prescription? You didn’t happen to get vitamin C tablets, did you? I didn’t get enough orange juice this morning.” _

“Shiro, you work in a goddamn hospital. Just get off your ass and get some,” Keith was half yelling, more stress leaking out of his voice than anger. “Sorry, I’m sorry. That was out of line.  _ Way  _ out of line. I’m just worried about Lance.” 

_ “He’s doing okay right now. Why don’t I tell him you’ll be a little late? He’s not sleeping, I’m sure he’ll be glad to know you’re on your way here.”  _

Keith exhaled, not even realizing he was holding his breath. “Yeah, yeah that would be great,” Keith said before hesitantly asking, “Do you think I could just talk to him for a couple of minutes?”

He could hear Shiro sigh.  _ “Keith, you know that’s against my code as a psychiatrist here. He’s not allowed to use work phones or numbers.” _

“I know Shiro but please-”.

_ “No, Keith. You know I wish I could, but I can’t.”  _

Keith frustratingly sighed. “Okay,” was all he said, not even listening to Shiro’s apologies. He, again, wasn’t mad. Just stressed. They said their goodbyes and then in an instant, Keith was left alone in the dark quietness of his car. 

Traffic moved gradually while Keith’s mind wondered to his boyfriend and what could possibly be going on in his head. He waited and waited and moved and waited some more. He picked up trash and fast food wrappers from off the floor. Overall, he cleaned out most of his car just while sitting in traffic. 

He went to shove all the garbage into the glove compartment when a CD fell out and onto the newly cleaned floor. 

“What the-,” Keith said, picking up the CD and flipping it over to read the cover. Time itself seemed to stop. 

_ Lance and Keith’s 4th Anniversary Playlist 2016! _

Three years ago, Lance made a playlist of all their favorite songs and burned it onto a CD so they could both have a copy. Keith thought he’d lost this when their house flooded last year. Lance still had his most likely, keeping it buried away in his “special box”. 

Emotionally, Keith didn’t think he could handle listening to this. This was from a time when Lance wasn’t so sick in the head and their life was going great. These songs connected the two of them, forging them together like molten iron. Now Keith feels like though they are still bound together, everything is brittle. 

In a state of impulse, Keith gingerly took the CD out of the case and put it into the slot where the car consumed it into the dashboard. Seconds later, a song Keith knew and loved filled the quiet emptiness of the car. 

_ Once there was a way _

_ To get back homeward _

_ Once there was a way _

_ To get back home _

_ Sleep pretty, darling _

_ Do not cry _

_ And I will sing a lullaby _

* * *

“ _ Golden slumbers fill your eyes!” Lance drunkenly shrieked from the bed of Keith’s truck, the soft melody of the song whipped away into the breeze and faded behind Lance’s singing.  _

_ Keith giggled, desperately trying to shush his boyfriend. “Lance, baby, you’re gonna wake up half the state of Texas if you don’t shut the hell up.” _

_ Lance wasn’t even drunk. He was just excited to be away with Keith. He was happiness drunk, drunk on happiness. Now they sat in the bed of Keith’s old pickup, listening to Abbey Road and kissing in the moonlight. Despite the mosquitoes and hellish heatwave, it was still perfect. Any get-away at this point was perfect.  _

_ Lance settled into the makeshift pillow mattress, resting his head on Keith’s shoulder. He loved this moment, the intoxicating smell of bug spray and all. “What do you this Cosmo is up to right now?”  _

_ Keith groaned, thinking about the mess they might come home to. “Probably ripping the cushions off of our Lay-Z-Boy.” _

_ “Great, Cosmo’s eating furniture again.” _

_ “Again?” _

_ Lance scoffed, burring himself further into Keith’s side, pressing his nose into the nape of Keith’s neck. He inhaled the smell of his boyfriend, gasoline and vanilla-scented candles filling his head and making him dizzy.  _

_ Maybe he was drunk.  _

_ Drunk on Keith.  _

_ He closed his eyes, focusing his conscience on the way his boyfriend’s chest rose and fell and how the crickets chirped beneath their truck. He felt a familiar set of chapped lips press against his hairline and an arm pulling him closer to the warm body beside him.  _

_ Lance chuckled. “Cuddly, are we?” _

_ “You’re making fun of me now, McClain, but when I have you pinned down later-”. _

_ “Keith!” _

_ Keith’s body shook with the force of his own laughter. “Only if you want to. Plus, it’ll give you another opportunity to scream your head off.” _

_ “I fucking hate you.” _

_ Lance gently smacked Keith’s chest as the other continued to laugh. Keith craned his neck to give Lance a kiss on the nose, which only built to Lance’s flustered features. It was like that for a while, gentle kisses and sexual puns. All of it had Lance practically melting. Not just from the summer heat but from the perfection of something so simple.  _

_ They layed there for hours, holding each other in the moonlight of the summer evening, listening to their anniversary mixtape.  _

_ Suddenly Keith pointed up at the night sky. “Look,” He said, guiding Lance’s eyes to the stars. “That’s your constellation, babe. Gemini, right?” _

_ Lance stared at the stars, barely able to make out the constellations among them. Each star was gleaming at him like a diamond in the sun. “How’d you know that was the Gemini?” _

_ “My dad and I used to have this badass telescope and we’d take it out into the back yard at night. My mom would read from this little book about the constellations and their meanings. Together we would look for them in the stars, and eventually, we found them.” _

_ Keith locked eyes with Lance, a love-filled gaze settling between the two of them as Keith continued to speak.  _

_ “I remember the Gemini was a bitch to find. Everywhere I looked, it wasn’t there. Then finally, my dad told me I was looking at it all wrong. Turns out I was facing the opposite direction.” _

_ Lance let out a content sigh. “I love it when you tell me about your little adventures as a kid.” _

_ “Yeah, they were amazing. Hopefully, we can do the same for ours someday.” _

_ Keith didn’t realize what he said until he said it. It never really came up between them but it was implied both of them wanted kids. Keith was good around kids but Lance had more experience given that he grew up in a large family. The way Lance played with his nieces and nephews made Keith’s heart ache.  _

_ Keith was afraid to look down, picturing Lance’s face contorted with disgust or disapproval. Instead, he felt a soft hand cup his cheek and reluctantly, he looked down at his boyfriend.  _

_ Lance’s face was anything but contorted. It was relaxed and gentle and maybe even thankful.  _

_ “Hey…” He whispered, his voice smooth and sweet. “I want kids and I know you do too. I don’t care if it’s one or two or six, dammit we will have a family.”  _

_ The moment Lance finished Keith pulled him up onto his chest, kissing him passionately. Keith’s dry, cracked fingers found their way under Lance’s shirt, mapping out the ridges of his back. Meanwhile, Lance had his arms looped around Keith’s neck, deepening his kiss further. Minutes passed, the two barely breaking away for a second before they were back at one another's lips.  _

_ Things began to slowly calm down when Lance abruptly pulled away from their make-out session. “First and foremost, I hope you intend to ‘put a ring on it’ before we go out and get ourselves a child.” _

_ Keith laughed, cradling Lance back into his chest. “I’m planning on it. Plus we’re getting the new garage open over in town, which for us means more business. I’ll put one hell of a ring on it when the time comes.” _

_ “As long as I get to spend the rest of my life with you, I don’t care what kind of rock you put on my ring finger.” _

_ “Through sickness and through health, you’ll always be mine, McClain.” _

  
  


* * *

A sharp car horn brought Keith out of his memory. His eyes snapped up to the slow-moving cars ahead of him. Traffic was finally clearing. 

His car inched forward every time he pressed his foot to the gas, gradually making his way towards the nearest exit. Quickly switching lanes, Keith eventually made it to Exit 108, the one that would get him to A.P.H. fastest. 

Keith sighed once he was off the highway. No longer was the car filled with the melody of their favorite Beatles song but now an old favorite was playing. 

_ Gloria, smelled it on your breath _

_ Gloria, booze and peppermint _

Keith laughed, the tune of the song keeping his empty mind from drifting. He didn’t mind the influence of the music. It reminded him of when things were better and what things will be like once they are again. 

Keith drove and drove until the big glowing sign he recognized appeared in the distance. 

_ Altea Psychiatric Hospital; Where Help and Healing Begin.  _

He pulled into the visitors' parking lot and entered through the revolving doors for about the thousandth time. The same receptionist, Acxa, greeted him from the front desk. She always worked past hours as a part-time janitor as well as the receptionist. Probably trying to pay the bills like Keith. Probably just barely hanging in there financially like Keith. Probably fighting her demons just like Keith. 

“Hey there Keith,” She said with a lazy wave of her hand, eyes not even looking up to see the other male walking past the desk. 

“Good evening,  _ madam. _ ”

“Oh my god, you’re a dork.”

Keith snickered as he approached the nearby elevator. He was out of earshot so making another witty comment would be fruitless. Instead, he hit the up button and waited for his ride up to arrive. Fiddling with the hem of his coat while he waited, Keith wondered about what Shiro said earlier. 

Lance only had a panic attack. He’ll likely be upset so he won’t talk much. He’s probably tired but won’t sleep. He might cry or get worked up again. Maybe he’ll laugh when Keith tells him about Pidge and her modified  _ Roomba.  _ Keith is well prepared to handle any and all situations that may occur. 

Stepping off the elevator had been the most relieving part of his day so far. Knowing that he was just that much closer to seeing his boyfriend made his heart thump. Scaling down the halls Keith counted the doors as they came along, not reading the conditions of the other patients out of respect. He passed the nurses he knew from previous visits, waving and smiling despite the depressing state of being in a physiatric hospital. 

Keith approached the all too familiar door at the end of the hallway, glancing at the little plaque on the wall. 

_ Room #450, Lance McClain.  _

_ Condition: Schizophrenia _

_ Doctor: Takashi Shirogane  _

All too familiar…

“Keith?”

He spun around to see Shiro dressed in scrubs but lacking his doctor’s coat. It was a clear indication that he was ready to go home for the day. 

“Jesus Shiro, you scared the shit out of me.”

Shiro smiled, seeming either generally proud of himself or grateful Keith was finally here. “I’m glad you finally made it. I’d love to talk longer but I can’t keep the misses waiting. The doors’ unlocked. Call if you need anything or just push the-”

“I’ve done this literally a million times, I can handle this,” Keith said, cutting Shiro off mid-sentence. 

“Alright, you know how to cheer him up best. I hope he’s in better spirits tomorrow. See ya later, baby Kogane.”

Keith grumbled, waiting until Shiro was halfway down the hall to insult his brother any further. 

“Since when does he refer to Adam as ‘the misses’?”

Quietly, he pressed down on the door handle and pushed the door open. 

The room was the same. There was a plastic chair beside the bed and photos were hung on the walls like a giant scrapbook. It smelled of lavender soap and old candles. Posters were spread across the walls, sending messages like ‘Don’t Give Up’ or ‘It’ll Be Better Tomorrow’. The floors were made of colorful, blue tiles that stood out among the blandness of the rest of the room. 

Keith let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He shuffled over to the bed where Lance was curled up. Facing the wall. Still not asleep. 

His stormy blue eyes flicked up to Keith, who had made himself comfortable on the edge of the twin-sized bed. Shakily, Lance untangled himself from his light blanket and sat up, staring at Keith with his bloodshot blue orbs. He didn’t know what to do with his arms. He just folded them in his lap and waited for Keith to start talking.

“Hey baby, Shiro told me today was a little rough.”

Lance nodded, eyes shifting away to stare at Keith’s watch. “Yeah, yeah it was.”

“That’s alright though. Shiro’s not counting it as a bad day. You did so well, you were very honest and you opened up. That was amazing, sweetheart.”

Lance weakly smiled. Keith’s insides swelled.  _ Small victories, Keith. Small victories.  _

Lance reached his arms out like a toddler, wanting to be held by his boyfriend and taken away from this place. He knew it wouldn’t solve everything but it was better than nothing. 

“H-Hug?” Lance croaked out, eyes swelling with relief and tears. 

Keith scooted closer and in an instant, Lance was gathered in the arms of his beloved. 

“Shhh, no more talking, baby. You already did plenty of that today. We can cuddle for now. I’ll talk if you want me to, just to keep the quiet away. Close your eyes, Lance.”

Lance did as he was told, closing his eyes while Keith shifted them down into a more comfortable position. Lance buried his head in Keith’s neck, holding his arms to his chest and wishing for the darkness to stay away. Keith settled with his arm wrapped protectively around Lance’s back, holding him close, and the other stroking his oily hair. Keith pulled the discarded blanket over their bodies and pressed a kiss on Lance’s forehead. 

Lance sniffled, a stray tear dripping down his cheek and onto Keith’s warm neck. “K-Keith?”

“You okay, sweetheart?”

Lance looked down, already feeling Keith’s concerned gaze following him like a hawk. 

“Use your words, honey. What can I help you with?”

Lance took a deep breath before shakily responding. “T-Talk? Too quiet r-right now.”

Keith knew how to handle this. Even before Lance got hospitalized, he never liked silence. The walls were soundproof. They were designed not to allow sound to come through at all. Sometimes that can be a little nerve-wracking for Lance, and Keith has come to recognize when the silence is too much. Even too many loud noises throw Lance through the loop. 

“Okay, alright, alright,” Keith started, quickly wiping away Lance’s tears. “How about I tell you about my day? From start to finish.”

Lance began to relax into Keith’s arms as the other man continued on with his story. 

Keith tells him about his promotion and how good the money is and how they're upgrading him to a better company car. Keith tells him about the garage and how they miss him over there. He tells Lance about Hunk’s new dog or Adam and Shiro’s new house. He told him about the cd he found in his car. He tells him about the garden he started to promote a better eating habit. 

He tells him everything. 

“I’m currently growing anything green or anything that had seeds,” Keith said, silently cheering himself on as Lance’s small smile grew. “I can’t wait for you to see it. We can grow herbs too. That way we can plant garlic to make garlic knots! A-And homemade meals, we can invite the gang over. Adam too. Hunk can help cook and Pidge can-”.

Lance’s eyes were slowly drooping, but his smile wouldn’t fade. Keith kept talking. 

“I can’t wait, three more months and we’re gonna be outta here.  _ You’re  _ gonna be out and  _ we  _ are going to go home.”

Lance looked into Keith’s amethyst eyes that shined with the most hope and ambition one could ever imagine. 

“Tomorrow’s going to be better,” Lance whispered.

“Tomorrow is going to be  _ amazing _ , my love.”

**Author's Note:**

> Don't read and run!   
Leave a comment and some kudos :)
> 
> (It's just business)


End file.
